GENERAL BOOKS

A Chastened Communion: Modern Irish Poetry and Catholicism (Irish Studies) Auge A Chastened Communion traces a new path through the well-traversed field of modern Irish poetry by revealing how critical engagement with Catholicism shapes the trajectory of the poetic careers of Austin Clarke, Patrick Kavanagh, John Montague, Seamus Heaney, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Paul Durcan, and Paula Meehan.

A Concise Guide to Canon Law; A Practical Handbook for Pastoral Ministers - Kevin E. McKenna. Pastoral ministers are faced with new questions and challenges every day, and answers aren't always easy to find. Canon law can provide the answers to some of the most complicated questions, but busy pastoral ministers don't always know where or how to find those answers. What's needed is a clear, concise, easy-to-use reference guide to church law, one that puts the answers right at your fingertips. A Concise Guide to Canon Law will do just that. This handy reference provides a compact overview of the most important canonical issues facing pastoral ministers today. Arranged by topic, it offers a thorough summary of church law--including such topics as the sacraments and church organization--and is complete with reference numbers to relevant canons in the Code of Canon Law. Helpful sections of "frequently asked questions and answers" at the end of the chapters make finding answers to the most often-asked questions even easier. With more and more lay people becoming involved with church administration, and with members of parishes and faith communities raising more complex and complicated questions, Understanding church law is vital and A Concise Guide to Canon Law makes it easy.

A History of Christian Thought (Touchstone Books) Paperback by Paul Tillich (Author). Previously published in two separate volumes entitled A history of Christian thought and Perspectives on 19th and 20th century Protestant theology.

A Key to the Doctrine of the Eucharist Paperback by Dom Anscar Vonier (Author) "The first theologian in modern times to discover to our wonder and joy the fully sacramental character of the Mass was, doubtless, that profound and personal thinker, Abbot Vonier." - Fr. W. Barden, O.P.
In his greatest, and most influential masterpiece, Abbot Vonier gives a spiritually and intellectually enriching explanation of the Eucharist based on a careful study of “the great sacramental doctrine of the Church” found in the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Council of Trent. Vonier writes, “To conceive the sacrifice of Mass as a sacrament is a simple visualization of a great truth which, if it be once grasped by the mind … makes all the difference between light and fantasy.” The great beauty and intellectual clarity of the Church’s theology as explained by Vonier reminds the reader over and over that “In theological matters the spark that illumines always comes from under the hoof of strict reasoning.”

All of us are called to keep striving towards something greater than ourselves and our families, and every family must feel this constant impulse. Let us make this journey as families, let us keep walking together. Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia
In his groundbreaking work on modern family life, Amoris Laetitia: On Love in the Family, Pope Francis continues to guide and lead the Church, calling us to be a sign of mercy and encouragement for families of all shapes and sizes.
The Our Sunday Visitor edition includes exclusive reflection and discussion questions, to help Catholics grow in our understanding of this call, and act upon it.
In Amoris Laetitia: On Love in the Family the Holy Father expands on the topics and considerations of the two Synods on the family, and adds his own considerations to help us provide pastoral guidance to support and strengthen today s families.
On Love in the Family guides us through:
• Scripture what we can learn from Biblical families and relationships with God and each other
• Reality the experiences and challenges we face in today s world
• Tradition essential aspects of Church teaching on marriage and families
• Love what it means for all our relationships
• Ministry Pope Francis offers pastoral perspectives for helping build strong families
• Spirituality the expression of the Gospel message in our relationships

An Introduction to Theology in Global Perspective First Edition Edition
by Stephen B, SVD Bevans (Author)
Offers a comprehensive guide to doing theology as part of the Catholic ecclesial community in today's globalized world.
An Introduction to Theology in Global Perspective emphasizes that theology is an activity, a process that is anchored in Scripture but interpreted by ecclesial tradition and the magisterium. This theology is rooted in the experience that divine is found in a sacramental world and community.
This book also describes a systematic theology as refelction upon the church's central teachings on creation, sin, redemption, the Trinity, anthropology, ecclesiology, salvation, and eternal life.
"A remarkable achievement. In this volume the reader benefits from ascholar's mastery of theological tradition, the clarity and insight of a brillian teacher, the sophisticated global contextualization that comes from a lifelong commitment to Christian mission, and the humility of a committed spiritual pilgrim."--Richard R. Gaillardetz, University of Toledo.

Aquinas: An Introduction (Outstanding Christian Thinkers) Paperback –
by Brian Davies (Author)
St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274) is widely viewed as one of the greatest Christian thinkers of all time. Aquinas was the ultimate combination of theologian and philosopher; and his influence on Christian life and thought reaches from the Council of Trent to the Second Vatican Council and through to today.
Brian Davies shows that Aquinas's approach to the common questions of faith and existence is just as pressing and significant in our time. Here, the latest scholarship is incorporated with a clear and indispensable guide to Aquinas's thought.

Being Consumed: Economics and Christian William T. Cavanaugh. Should Christians be for or against the free market? For or against globalization? How are we to live in a world of scarcity? William Cavanaugh uses Christian resources to incisively address basic economic matters -- the free market, consumer culture, globalization, and scarcity -- arguing that we should not just accept these as givens but should instead change the terms of the debate.
Among other things, Cavanaugh discusses how God, in the Eucharist, forms us to consume and be consumed rightly. Examining pathologies of desire in contemporary "free market" economies, Being Consumed puts forth a positive and inspiring vision of how the body of Christ can engage in economic alternatives. At every turn, Cavanaugh illustrates his theological analysis with concrete examples of Christian economic practices.

Betrayal: German Churches and the Holocaust Paperback – January 5, 1999 by Robert P. Ericksen (Editor), Susannah Heschel (Editor). Important and insightful essays provide a penetrating assessment of Christian responses in the Nazi era.

Catholic Church through the Ages, The: A History; Second Edition - John Vidmar OP. The Catholic Church through the Ages, now in its second edition, is a one-volume survey of the history of the Catholic Church from its beginning until (and including) the pontificate of Pope Francis. The book explains the Church's progress by using Christopher Dawson's division of the Church's history into six distinct "ages," or 350-400 year periods of time, each cycle beginning with great enthusiasm and advancement and ending in decline and loss. Writing with the experience of thirty years of teaching, the author has fashioned an ideal text that combines substance with readability.
Undergraduates, graduates, and interested lay people have given the author an idea of what topics should be emphasized. As a result, he has emphasized such areas monasticism, the Crusades, medieval theology, the Inquisition, Reformation, French Revolution, the nineteenth century, and the Church in the United States. And he has added material on the Oxford Movement, John Henry Newman s contributions to the Oxford Movement and to the Catholic intellectual tradition, and the Catholic literary revival that took place in several countries in the early twentieth century, as well as on the last three popes.

Catholics and American Culture: Fulton Sheen, Dorothy Day, and the Notre Dame Football Team - Mark S Massa SJ. While in the early years of the century Catholics in America were for the most part distrusted outsiders with respect to the dominant culture, by the 1960s the mainstream of American Catholicism was in many ways "the culture’s loudest and most uncritical cheerleader." Mark Massa explores the rich irony in this postwar transition, by examining key figures in American culture in the last century.

Catholics and Contraception: An American History (Cushwa Center Studies of Catholicism in Twentieth-Century America) 1st Edition by Leslie Woodcock Tentler (Author) As Americans rethought sex in the twentieth century, the Catholic Church's teachings on the divisive issue of contraception in marriage were in many ways central. In a fascinating history, Leslie Woodcock Tentler traces changing attitudes: from the late nineteenth century, when religious leaders of every variety were largely united in their opposition to contraception; to the 1920s, when distillations of Freud and the works of family planning reformers like Margaret Sanger began to reach a popular audience; to the Depression years, during which even conservative Protestant denominations quietly dropped prohibitions against marital birth control.
Catholics and Contraception carefully examines the intimate dilemmas of pastoral counseling in matters of sexual conduct. Tentler makes it clear that uneasy negotiations were always necessary between clerical and lay authority. As the Catholic Church found itself isolated in its strictures against contraception―and the object of damaging rhetoric in the public debate over legal birth control―support of the Church's teachings on contraception became a mark of Catholic identity, for better and for worse.
Tentler draws on evidence from pastoral literature, sermons, lay writings, private correspondence, and interviews with fifty-six priests ordained between 1938 and 1968, concluding, "the recent history of American Catholicism . . . can only be understood by taking birth control into account." The paperback edition includes a new preface by the author.

Christ and the Powers (John Howard Yoder) 2nd Edition
by Hendrik Berkhof (Author)
This book by Hendrik Berkhof was the fountainhead of studies on the Powers. Yoder introduced it to an English-speaking audience and used it in his own groundbreaking work. Paperback, 80 pages.

Christ, the Life of the Soul by Blessed Columba Marmion is a classic guide to the spiritual life that had a direct influence on several Popes, generations of priests and religious, and countless members of the laity. Firmly rooted in the Bible, the Liturgy, and the writings of the Saints and Doctors of the Church, Marmion explores every aspect of Catholic dogma — with penetrating insight — but his great emphasis is on the person of Christ, and the doctrine of Divine Adoption. Written for Christians in every walk of life, here are pages of practical knowledge and timeless wisdom -- a "how to" guide filled with rich insight, spiritual refreshment, inspiration and encouragement.

Christian Ethics: An Essential Guide (Abingdon Essential Guides) - Robin W. Lovin.
In this excellent outline of Christian ethics, Robin W. Lovin achieves a balance between the questions and issues which form the core of the study of ethics and the life situations from which those questions arise.
Eschewing a sectarian approach which dismisses other understandings of the moral life, Lovin nonetheless lays claim to a specifically Christian understanding of ethics. He begins with basic Christian convictions about the reality of God and human redemption and weaves these convictions into the fabric of moral concerns that are widely shared in contemporary society. He takes note of the problems that arise when Christians try to act on or enforce their convictions in a pluralistic society and recognizes the variety of theological and moral beliefs that are held within the Christian community, as well as in the wider society.

Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours Imitation Leather – December 1, 1999
by Catholic Book Publishing Co (Author)
This volume is liturgically accurate, magnificently printed, and beautifully bound as befits it use for the Prayer of the Church. You will find this book ideal for both your private and your communal daily prayer. This product has a font size of 10.

Christology of the Later Fathers, Icthus Edition (Library of Christian Classics) Paperback – January 1, 1954
by Edward R. Hardy (Editor)
This volume includes selections from the works of Athanasius, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa. Through these works and those of other early Christian thinkers, this book surveys the development of early church theology.
Long recognized for the quality of its translations, introductions, explanatory notes, and indexes, the Library of Christian Classics provides scholars and students with modern English translations of some of the most significant Christian theological texts in history. Through these works--each written prior to the end of the sixteenth century--contemporary readers are able to engage the ideas that have shaped Christian theology and the church through the centuries.

Church Dogmatics Paperback –
by Karl Barth (Author),‎ Helmut Gollwitzer (Editor)
Karl Barth's monumental work, Church Dogmatics, is recognized as a landmark in Protestant theology--perhaps the most important work of this century. However, the size range of its fourteen volumes has meant that its content and significance may not be so widely known or appreciated as it deserves. In this concise introduction, Helmut Gollwitzer provides a selection of some of the most important passages from Church Dogmatics to help the busy student explore the heart of the great work; or perhaps to direct a student to parts of the Dogmatics of greatest interest.

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church Paperback – March 7, 2005
by Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (Author),‎ United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (Editor, Illustrator)
Only available for sale in the United States. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, a unique, unprecedented document in the history of the Church, serves as a tool to inspire and guide the faithful, who are faced with moral and pastoral challenges daily. It is divided into five sections: an introduction, three parts, and a conclusion entitled "For a Civilization of Love." The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church is a must-have resource for leaders of social ministry at the diocesan and parish level as well as those in religious education, schools, and youth and young adult ministry.

Creation and Covenant: The Significance of Sexual Difference in the Moral Theology of Marriage Paperback – November 1, 2008 by Christopher Roberts (Author) Does sexual difference matter for marriage? Are there good theological reasons why the two main characters in a marriage should be a male and a female, or is marriage a more flexible covenant, which any two people can keep? Creation and Covenant analyzes latent but under-examined beliefs about sexual difference in the theology about marriage which has been dominant for centuries in the Christian west. The book opens by studying patristic theologies of marriage, which rested on mostly implicit and often incompatible beliefs about sexual difference. However, Roberts argues that Augustine developed a coherent theology of sexual difference, according it a shifting significance from creation to eschaton. Roberts traces how Augustine's theology influenced and was developed by subsequent theologians, such as Bernard of Clairvaux, Luther, Barth, and John Paul II. Finally, Roberts engages today's debates about gay marriage. Before becoming an academic, Dr. Roberts was a journalist. On behalf of PBS television, he covered both the Lambeth Conference in England and the World Council of Churches in Zimbabwe. During those years, he was disappointed by both the liberal and conservative arguments on homosexuality. Left-wingers seemed more interested in privacy, autonomy, and experience than in theology, and right-wingers seemed to have lots of prohibitions but little good news. In the final chapters, this book tries to do better, inviting liberals to improve the standard of their arguments, and explaining what is beautiful and persuasive about the traditional case.

Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets (IVP Bible Dictionary) Hardcover – June 17, 2012
by Mark J. Boda (Editor),‎ J. Gordon McConville (Editor)
2013 ECPA Book Award finalist! With the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets, IVP's Black Dictionary series completes its coverage of the Old Testament canonical books. A true compendium of recent scholarship, the volume includes 115 articles covering all aspects of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the twelve "minor prophets" and Daniel. Each book's historical, cultural, religious and literary background is thoroughly covered, alongside articles on interpretation history and critical method. Pastors, scholars and students will find this a deep resource for their Old Testament studies.

Economic Justice for All (Publication / United States Catholic Conference) - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This tenth anniversary edition of the landmark pastoral letter includes both A Decade After Economic Justice for All and A Catholic Framework for Economic Life.

Evil and the Justice of God Paperback by N. T. Wright . Merit Award, 2007 Christianity Today Theology/Ethics Book With every earthquake and war, understanding the nature of evil and our response to it becomes more urgent. Evil is no longer the concern just of ministers and theologians but also of politicians and the media. We hear of child abuse, ethnic cleansing, AIDS, torture and terrorism, and rightfully we are shocked. But, N. T. Wright says, we should not be surprised. For too long we have naively believed in the modern idea of human progress. In contrast, postmodern thinkers have rightly argued that evil is real, powerful and important, but they give no real clue as to what we should do about it. In fact, evil is more serious than either our culture or our theology has supposed. How then might Jesus' death be the culmination of the Old Testament solution to evil but on a wider and deeper scale than most imagine? Can we possibly envision a world in which we are delivered from evil? How might we work toward such a future through prayer and justice in the present? These are the powerful and pressing themes that N. T. Wright addresses in this book that is at once timely and timeless.

This volume, three separate books in one edition, is a collection of Josef Pieper's famous treatises on the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love. Pieper is perhaps the most popular Thomist philosopher of the twentieth century.

Feminist Mysticism and Images of God: A Practical Theology - Dr. Jennie Knight. Feminist theologians often claim that "women's experience" is their starting point. However, most feminist theology is remarkably void of analysis of particular women's experiences of imaging God. In this book, Knight provides practical recommendations to help people transform images in the context of religious practices.
What difference does it make whether we picture God as an elderly white grandfather, a nurturing African American mother, or a stranger on the bus?
Jennie Knight says our image of God affects how we see ourselves, how we worship, how we treat one another, how (or whether) we work for justice, and a host of other life practices. But after years of knowing intellectually that God transcends a specific human type, Knight still struggles to make an emotional connection with God in different forms. She suspects that that struggle is why many seminarians who wrote papers about thea/theology abandon nontraditional God images once they hit parish ministry, perpetuating the practice of seeing God as a European male on a throne and all the accompanying problems that such imagery creates.
Knight believes that personal and critical reflection in the context of a supportive learning community, combined with experiences of diverse images for the divine in worship, can lead to profound changes in self-image, relationship with the divine, and agency in the world. This book aims to demonstrate why and how this transformation is both possible and necessary.
The popularity of The Shack, The Secret Life of Bees, Joan of Arcadia, and other works with nontraditional God-figures reveals a culture ready to embrace God in many forms. Knight examines how the church can do the same.

First Communion Bible Leather Bound – November 7, 2000
by World Catholic Press (Author)
This distinctive gift edition of the New American Bible , Revised Edition (NABRE) features an illuminating sect ion that includes the prayers of the Rosary as well as the Scripture verses that relate to all 20 Mysteries; a concise explanation of the seven Sacraments; helpful charts that provide Jesus' miracles and parables in chronological order; and self-explaining New Testament maps. A lovely commemorative Presentation Page, classic gold-stamped navy blue flexible cover, durable binding , and gilded edges complete this most meaningful First Communion gift for a special recipient.

Foundations of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity - Karl Rahner. Karl Rahner is one of Catholicism’s most influential, and yet difficult to understand, theologians. This remarkably comprehensive volume gives a page by page explanation of Rahner’s great summary Foundations of Christian Faith. With an excellent introduction and helpful indices, this book is an indispensable addition to every theological library.

Friars, Scribes, and Corpses: A Marian Confraternal Reading of The Mirror of Human Salvation (Speculum humanae salvationis) (Mediaevalia Groningana New Series) by K.J. Vrudny (Author) The Speculum humanae salvationis (Mirror of Human Salvation), a medieval book recounting in forty-five chapters the story of human redemption within the larger context of the Virgin Mary's life, was something of a "bestseller" in the Middle Ages, surviving in over 400 copies. Because the author wrote anonymously, however, little about the book's initial context is known despite a century's-long effort to uncover the author's identity. Friars, Scribes, and Corpses investigates a Marian confraternal setting for the Speculum's emergence, and newly proposes consideration of Nicola da Milano as the poem's author. Its central chapters show how the scribes who copied the Speculum preserved the author's rhetorical considerations that served so well the purposes of Marian confraternal preaching, including elements that suit memory training techniques used in the Middle Ages, such as building an architectural structure in one's mind, tagging memories with emotion, and internalizing the transformative nature of spiritual lessons. The final chapter asserts that the poem's lessons would have been particularly desired in the context of plague, when the number of corpses threatened to destroy people's faith in a merciful God. Friars, Scribes, and Corpses challenges assumptions about the Speculum, as well as the dominantly held view that there was an overwhelming emphasis on death in the late medieval period. Rather, this book demonstrates that there was a competing emphasis on life as glimpsed in the glass of the Speculum.

German Catholics And Hitler's Wars: A Study in Social Control Paperback – September 30, 1988 by Gordon C. Zahn (Author) Prior to the outbreak of World War II, nearly forty thousand German Catholics were involved in the German Catholic Peace League, a movement that caused many people in various countries to seriously reconsider the dimension of pacifism in their faith. During the course of the War, however, many of these same German Catholics raised no serious objection to serving in Germany's armies or swearing allegiance to Adolph Hitler.
First published in 1962, German Catholics and Hitler's Wars created a furor, ultimately causing a serious reevaluation of church-state relationships and, in particular, of the morality of war. This work began as an attempt to understand the demise of the German Catholic Peace League. But because of various factors, including the destruction of vital records, Gordon C. Zahn began to consider the behavior of German Catholics in general and the evidence of their almost total conformity to the war demands of the Nazi regime. Using sociological analysis, he argues convincingly for the existence of a super-effective system of social controls, and of a selection between the competing values of Catholicism and nationalism. Although Zahn never speculates, conclusions are inescapable, chief among them that the traditional Catholic doctrine of the "just war" has ceased to be operative for Catholics in the modern world.

God's Presence: A Contemporary Recapitulation of Early Christianity (Current Issues in Theology) Paperback – November 25, 2013 by Frances Young (Author) In 2011, Frances Young delivered the Bampton Lectures in Oxford to great acclaim. She offered a systematic theology with contemporary coherence, by engaging in conversation with the fathers of the church - those who laid down the parameters of Christian theology and enshrined key concepts in the creeds - and exploring how their teachings can be applied today, despite the differences in our intellectual and ecclesial environments. This book results from a thorough rewriting of those lectures in which Young explores the key topics of Christian doctrine in a way that is neither simply dogmatic nor simply historical. She addresses the congruence of head and heart, through academic and spiritual engagement with God's gracious accommodation to human limitations. Christianity and biblical interpretation are discussed in depth, and the book covers key topics including Creation, anthropology, Christology, soteriology, spirituality, ecclesiology and Mariology, making it invaluable to those studying historical and constructive theology.

Handbook of Roman Catholic Moral Terms Paperback – October 14, 2013
by James T. Bretzke (Author)
The Handbook of Roman Catholic Moral Terms contains more than 800 moral terms, offering concise definitions, historical context, and illustrations of how these terms are used in the Catholic tradition, including Church teaching and documents.
James T. Bretzke, SJ, places Catholic tradition in a contemporary context in order to illuminate the continuities as well as discontinuities of Church teaching and key directions of Catholic thought. The author also provides extensive cross-referencing and bibliographic suggestions for further research.
Designed to serve as a vital reference work for libraries, students and scholars of theology, priests and pastoral ministers, as well as all adults interested in theological enrichment or continuing education, the Handbook of Roman Catholic Moral Terms is the most comprehensive post–Vatican II work of its kind available in English.

Hildegard of Bingen: An Integrated Vision (Theology) - Anne H. King-Lenzmeier. Hildegard of Bingen: An Integrated Vision shows that Hildegard's opus was filled with balance, unity, and a stress on the Gospel—a life and work that served as an inspiration and a challenge for the twelfth century and now for us at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Hildegard of Bingen: An Integrated Vision considers Hildegard as a whole person and places her within her own century and context. It accents what makes her such a compelling figure for the modern reader while retaining the integrity of her peerless voice. It also serves as an introduction to Hildegard and a resource for simplistic interpretations of a complex and gifted woman whose legacy is a multitude of works.
By considering all of Hildegard's talents, works, and trials Hildegard of Bingen: An Integrated Vision shows the depth of the challenge she presents to us. She calls us to look beyond the everyday, but to value it at the same time; to challenge our preconceived notions of gender in the divine and human spheres; to see that in times of hardship we cannot give up; and to love life, even when it is hard to bear. She gives us her example and her tools: now it is our turn to figure out, singly and together, how to bring viriditas more fully into the world of today and tomorrow.

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel According to Mark (2nd Ed.) (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible S) 2nd Edition
by Scott Hahn (Author),‎ Curtis Mitch (Author)
Based on the Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition, this volume leads readers through a penetrating study of the Gospel of Mark, using the biblical text itself and the Church's own guidelines for understanding the Bible. Ample notes accompany each page, providing fresh insights and commentary by renowned Bible teachers Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, as well as time-tested interpretations from the Fathers of the Church. These helpful study notes make explicit what St. Mark often assumes. Or they provide rich historical, cultural, geographical or theological information pertinent to the Gospel - information that bridges the distance between the biblical world and our own.
The Ignatius Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies and Charts. The Topical Essays explore the major themes of Mark's Gospel, often relating them to the doctrines of the Church. The Word Studies explain the background to important Bible terms, while the Charts summarize crucial biblical information "at a glance".
Each page also includes an easy-to-use Cross-Reference Section that runs between the biblical text at the top of the page and the annotations at the bottom. Study Questions are provided for each chapter of the Gospel that can deepen your personal study of God's Holy Word. There is also an introductory essay covering questions of authorship, date, destination, structure and themes. An outline of Mark's Gospel and several maps are also included.

Jesus in the World's Faiths: Leading Thinkers from Five Religions Reflect on His Meaning Paperback –
by Gregory Barker (Editor)
What Jesus as his teachings mean to contemporary Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, and Christians in the context of their traditions and in their personal faith experiences.

John XXIII: The Medicine of Mercy (People of God) Paperback – April 1, 2014
by Massimo Faggioli (Author)
People of God is a brand new series of inspiring biographies for the general reader. Each volume offers a compelling and honest narrative of the life of an important twentieth or twenty-first century Catholic. Some living and some now deceased, each of these women and men have known challenges and weaknesses familiar to most of us, but responded to them in ways that call us to our own forms of heroism. Each offers a credible and concrete witness of faith, hope, and love to people of our own day.
The canonization of Pope John XXIII and the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican II call for a fresh look at this remarkable man. Now highly regarded Vatican II historian Massimo Faggioli offers a rich and insightful portrait. His sources include the complete edition of the private diaries of the future John XXIII, published recently in ten volumes, much of which is unavailable in English. Faggioli’s use of this treasure of personal notes of the future pope means this biography offers a more complete and nuanced understanding of Angelo Roncalli than is available anywhere else in English at this time. The result is both unforgettable and inspiring.

Just Ministry: Professional Ethics for Pastoral Ministers - Richard M Gula. Offers a theological-ethical framework for reflecting on the moral responsibilities of the pastoral minister as a professional person.

Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II - Richard R. Gaillardetz, Catherine Clifford. As the church marks the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, too few Catholics have an adequate grasp of what the council contributed to the life of the church. The problem is understandable. The Second Vatican Council produced, by far, more document pages than any other council. Consequently, any attempt to master its core teachings can be daunting. There is a danger of missing the forest for the trees. With this in mind, Keys to the Councilidentifies twenty key conciliar passages, central texts that help us appreciate the Vision of the council fathers.
Each chapter places the given passage in its larger historical context, explores its fundamental meaning and significance, and finally considers its larger significance for the life of the church today. Chapters include exploration of Sacrosanctum Concilium's demand for full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgy;Lumen Gentium's eucharistic ecclesiology; Gaudium et Spes's vision of marriage as an intimate partnership of life and love; Nostra Aetate's approach to non-Christian religions; and more.

Letters from Lake Como: Explorations on Technology and the Human Race (Ressourcement: Retrieval & Renewal in Catholic Thought) - Romano Guardini. This book collects a fascinating series of letters written by theologian-philosopher Romano Guardini in the mid-1920s in which he works out for the first time his sense of the challenges of humanity in a culture increasingly dominated by the machine. With prophetic clarity and unsettling farsightedness, Guardini's letters poignantly capture the personal implications and social challenges of living in the technological age — concerns that have now come to fruition seventy years after they were first raised.

Living Mission Interculturally: Faith, Culture, and the Renewal of Praxis - Anthony J. Gittins CSSp. Our globalized world increasingly brings together people of many different cultures, though not always harmoniously. In recent decades, multinational companies have sought more efficient strategies for authentic intercultural collaboration. But in today's multicultural world-church, faith communities too-from local parishes to international religious communities-are faced with the challenge of intercultural living. The social sciences have developed some constructive approaches, but people of faith also need to build their endeavors on a sound biblical and theological foundation. Living Mission Interculturally integrates sociology/anthropology with practical theology, reminds us that good will alone is not enough to effect change, and points to a way of intercultural living underpinned by faith, virtue, and a range of new and appropriate skills.

Lumen Fidei: The Light of Faith Paperback – November 19, 2013 by Pope Francis (Author), Scott Hahn (Foreword) The encyclical letter Lumen Fidei is the great monument of the Year of Faith declared by Pope Benedict XVI and brought to completion by Pope Francis. It is a capstone of the year, but at the same time a milestone of a long road, a road we have only begun to travel: the road of the New Evangelization.” –from the Foreword by Scott Hahn
On June 29, 2013 Pope Francis issued his first papal letter reflecting on the nature of belief and the need to renew our faith for a bright future of charity and love for all.
"The light of Faith: this is how the Church's tradition speaks of the great gift brought by Jesus," Pope Francis writes. "In John's Gospel, Christ says of himself: 'I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.'" Here is an illuminating work inviting all to lead a more spiritual and faith-based, a reminder that with faith comes service, and with service to others and to God comes heaven on earth.

Magisterium: Teacher and Guardian of the Faith (Introductions to Catholic Doctrine) Paperback – March 19, 2010 by Avery Cardinal Dulles (Author). Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ here offers a complete theology of the Church's Magisterium. In a study that will be the standard treatment of the topic for years to come, Cardinal Dulles takes up such issues as the Magisterium's nature and function, the roots of the Magisterium in the New Testament and its development in the history of the Church, the relationship between the hierarchy of the Church and the theological academy, the scope of the Church's infallibility, the response due to the Magisterium's teachings, and the role of the Church's reception of magisterial teaching. Written for those seeking clarity, wisdom, and erudition about the Church's Magisterium, this book stands head and shoulders above any other presently available. Its accessible style makes it a valuable not only for scholars but for all Catholics.

Mary, Mother of the Redeemer by Juan Luis Bastero
This book, based on lectures given at the University of Navarre, is a systematic study of the person of Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth, true God and true Man and the redeemer of mankind. After introductory chapters that approach the subject from conceptual and historical angles, the book then discusses what revelation says about the woman who, in the fullness of time, bore in her womb the pre-existent Son of God. The book also includes a study of Mary's perfections as the Church believes them, written in a 'genetic' way, examining how appreciation of each perfection developed over the past two thousand years. The last chapter deals with Marian devotion. Mary, Mother of the Redeemer provides students of theology, and others interested in deepening the Christian faith, with insights into the person chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus.

Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium Hardcover – March 22, 2005 by Pope John Paul II (Author) In conversations with two Polish philosophy professors, the Pope offers his views on recent history and politics, evil, freedom, democracy, the moral status of modern Europe, and related topics, including the attempt on his life.

Migrations of the Holy: God, State, and the Political Meaning of the Church by William T. Cavanaugh. Whether one thinks that "religion" continues to fade or has made a comeback in the contemporary world, there is a common notion that "religion" went away somewhere, at least in the West. But William Cavanaugh argues that religious fervor never left -- it has only migrated toward a new object of worship. In Migrations of the Holy he examines the disconcerting modern transfer of sacred devotion from the church to the nation-state.
In these chapters Cavanaugh cautions readers to be wary of a rigid separation of religion and politics that boxes in the church and sends citizens instead to the state for hope, comfort, and salvation as they navigate the risks and pains of mortal life. When nationality becomes the primary source of identity and belonging, he warns, the state becomes the god and idol of its own religion, the language of nationalism becomes a liturgy, and devotees willingly sacrifice their lives to serve and defend their country.
Cavanaugh urges Christians to resist this form of idolatry, to unthink the inevitability of the nation-state and its dreary party politics, to embrace radical forms of political pluralism that privilege local communities -- and to cling to an incarnational theology that weaves itself seamlessly and tangibly into all aspects of daily life and culture.
Read more about the book in a blog post by Cavanaugh on EerdWord.

This starter Bible includes 47 exciting stories, each beautifully illustrated to capture a child's vivid imagination and enhance his or her exploration of the Bible. The 96-page hardcover book features a Table of Contents for easy reference and a presentation page, making it ideal for gift giving. Developed for children ages 5-9 in the read-to-me stage, this value-priced Bible from Aquinas Kids® is sure to be a new classic!
Material: Hardcover

Mystics, Visionaries, and Prophets: A Historical Anthology of Women's Spiritual Writings - Shawn Madigan . Winner of Catholic Press Association Book-of-the-Year Award-Spirituality Unique in its range and depth, this lavish anthology for the first time captures in a single volume the most notable spiritual writings of leading women from all periods of Christian history. Because spirituality involves more than simply prayer and piety, Madigan has selected women whose quests for intimacy with God also involves some visionary experience or social witness. Ranging from Perpetua in the third century to Mother Teresa and Edwina Gately in this century, her volume includes writings from both European women and, in the modern period, Asian, American, and African American women. Apart from redressing the heavy gender imbalance of most histories of Christianity, this volume also provides strong historical introductions to and bibliographies of the twenty-six women whose writings are generously excerpted. Women included in this volume are: Perpetua the Martyr Pelagia the Actress Brigit of Ireland Balthild the Queen of Neustria Dhuoda of Septimania Hildegard of Bingen Heloise Mechthild of Magdeburg Gertrude the Great Hadewijch Julian of Norwich Catherine of Siena Margery Kempe Teresa of Avila Jane Frances de Chantal Sojourner Truth Maria Stewart Gabrielle Bossis Dorothy Day Caryll Houselander Pauli Murray Laura Lopez Silvia Maribel Arriola Mother Teresa Cho Wha Soon Mercy Amba Oduyoye Edwina Gately

Old Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors Paperback – March 19, 2009 by Douglas Stuart (Author) For years, Douglas Stuart's Old Testament Exegesis has been one of the most popular ways to learn how to perform exegesis--the science and art of interpreting biblical texts properly for understanding as well as proclamation. Completely updated and substantially expanded, this new edition includes scores of newer resources, a new configuration of the format for the exegesis process, and an entirely new section explaining where to find and how to use the latest electronic and online resources for doing biblical research. Stuart provides guidance for full exegesis as well as for a quicker approach to provide information specifically tailored to the task of preaching. A glossary of terms explains the sometimes bewildering language of biblical scholarship, and a list of frequent errors guides the student in avoiding common mistakes. No exegetical guide for the Old Testament has been more widely used in training ministers and students to be faithful, careful interpreters of Scripture.

One Heart: Universal Wisdom from the World's Scriptures - Bonnie Louise Kuchler. The purpose of One Heart is to illuminate the common sacred ground at the heart of seven faiths: Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Taoism. Its method is to identify 65 essential principles, among them: Feel what other people feel; Don't harm others; Lead with virtue and concern for others; Be honest; Practice what you preach; Be content; Don't let anger take over; Choose your companions wisely; Accept the existence of spiritual beings; Seek and you will find. Illustrating each principle are one, two, or three quotations (adding up to more than 600) from a wide variety of texts sacred to each of the seven faiths—including the Old and New Testaments, the Talmud, the Mahabarata, the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita, the Analects of Confucius, and many other sacred sources. In addition, each chapter also provides guidance on a spiritual theme or practice—prayer beads, a home altar, labyrinth walking—to enhance our understanding of these wise words and universal principles.

Patience, Compassion, Hope, and the Christian Art of Dying Well by Christopher P. Vogt. Patience, Compassion, Hope, and the Christian Art of Dying Well combines a strong pastoral sensibility with the best of contemporary scholarship in Christian ethics to answer the pressing questions of how Christians should respond to suffering and death. By mining the rich tradition of virtue ethics, Christopher Vogt uses the virtues of patience, compassion, and hope as a framework for specifying the shape of a good death, and for naming the practices Christians should develop to live well and die well.
Bringing together historical, biblical, and contemporary sources in Christian ethics, Vogt provides a long-overdue theological analysis of the ars moriendi or "art of dying" literature of four centuries ago. He then builds on that tradition by turning to the question of how the advice those authors gave to their readers must be reshaped in order to be adequate to the contemporary context. Through a careful analysis of Luke's passion narrative, Vogt uses Jesus as the primary model for being patient in the face of death and for dying well.

Pope Francis in His Own Words Paperback – May 28, 2013 by Julie Schwietert Collazo (Editor), Lisa Rogak (Editor) The moment the identity of the newly elected 266th pontiff was revealed, it was clear to the thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square, and to the watching world, that this pope was different in fascinating and exciting ways — the first from Latin America, the first Jesuit, and the first to take the name Francis, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.
When Pope Francis, formerly Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, spoke from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, he greeted his audience colloquially: “Brothers and sisters, good evening.” Downplaying his power and position, he proceeded not to bless the crowd but to ask them for theirblessing: “I ask a favor of you,” he said, bowing humbly. “Let us make, in silence, this prayer: your prayer over me.”
Francis has repeatedly foregone the fancy dress, lavish accommodations, and other luxuries of his position, emphasizing pastoral work with the sick and the poor and always seeking to empower the underdog. This revealing collection of his own words, gathered from sermons, interviews, and the Pope’s books, prompts understanding and insight into his way of being and believing — and inspires goodwill, love, and hope.

Sacrament of Salvation: An Introduction to Eucharistic Ecclesiology - Paul McPartlan. For all who wish to develop a eucharistic understanding of the Church and its application to issues of current debate.

Sacrifice and Community: Jewish Offering and Christian Eucharist - Matthew Levering
This book explores the character of the Eucharist as communion in and through sacrifice. It will stimulate discussion because of its controversial critique of the dominant paradigm for Eucharistic theology, its reclamation of St Thomas Aquinas’s theology of the Eucharist, and its response to Pope John Paul II’s Ecclesia de Eucharistia.
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• Argues that the Eucharist cannot be separated from sacrifice, and rediscovers the biblical connections between sacrifice and communion.
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• Timed to coincide with the Year of the Eucharist, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II.
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• Reclaims the riches of St Thomas Aquinas’s theology of the Eucharist, which had recently been reduced to a metaphysical defence of transubstantiation.

Saint Paul and the New Evangelization - Ronald D. Witherup PSS. To some, the New Evangelization" seems to mean warmed-over and outdated apologetics that rarely resonate with people today. But that approach fails to do justice to what evangelization is really all about. InSaint Paul and the New Evangelization, one of today's most respected Scripture scholars offers a far richer, more deeply biblical approach.
Ronald D. Witherup, SS, analyzes the techniques of one of the church's best evangelists-Paul of Tarsus-to show how we can help reinvigorate the faith of friends and loved ones. You don't need to know a lot about the Bible or theology. Just follow St. Paul's inspiring example, and discover how to talk about your faith in ways that change hearts and minds.

Schleiermacher: Christmas Dialogue, the Second Speech, and Other Selections (The Classics of Western Spirituality) - Julia A. Lamm. This volume includes new translations of two of Schleiermacher s most read works, both of which are fascinating and edifying religious texts in their own right and both of which also capture key aspects of Schleiermacher s spirituality: The Christmas Celebration: A Dialogue (1806), and the famous Second Speech, On the Essence of Religion, from Schleiermacher s classic, On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers (2nd edition, 1806). Readers interested in spirituality and/or interested in learning more about Schleiermacher will enjoy reading these texts in this accessible and quite readable volume. The volume also includes two sermons by Schleiermacher, one given on Pentecost Sunday (1825) and the other on the second Sunday of Advent (1832). The volume includes a helpful introduction that explores the meaning of spirituality as a theme in Schleiermacher s life and works. The entire volume reflects the most recent scholarship in spirituality and in Schleiermacher studies.

Scripture in the Church: The Synod on the Word of God - James Chukwuma Okoye CSSp. Who should read the Bible? What is the biblical word? How is Scripture to be interpreted? How is it to be prayed and lived? How does Scripture call forth the Church's entire life and mission? In October 2008 the Synod on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church took place in Rome. During the synod the bishops addressed these questions on the significance of the Word in the life and mission of the church. Beginning with a helpful explanation of the synod process, James Chukwuma Okoye, CSSp, follows the synod in historical progression, highlighting important topics and issues along the way and concluding with an exposition of the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini, which Benedict XVI signed on September 30, 2010. Okoye emphasizes that the Synod on the Word of God was not just about Scripture's function in the pastoral life of the church but it was also about tradition and God's continuing self-disclosure in history and in the religions and cultures of humankind.

Sorting Out Catholicism: A Brief History of the New Ecclesial Movements - Massimo Faggioli. Focolare, Community of Sant’Egidio, Neocatechumenal Way, Legionaries of Christ, Communion and Liberation, Opus Dei. These are but a few of the most recognizable names in the broader context of the so-called ecclesial movements. Their history goes back to the period following the First Vatican Council, crosses Vatican II, and develops throughout the twentieth century. It is a history that prepares the movements’ rise in the last three decades, from John Paul II to Francis.

The beautiful, true story of the 12-year-old girl who in 1902 died a martyr to preserve her purity. Describes her virtuous life, poverty, holiness, valiant resistance, heroic and lingering death, conversion of her murderer and canonization in 1950 with her mother, her murderer and over 500,000 present. This is the famous, popular, classic biography! This is a good book to read to children, so they have someone worthwhile to imitate. By having Maria put before them as a model, they will learn to appreciate the virtue of purity. For a child to imitate the saints, he or she must first love them -- which in turn requires knowing them. Get your children acquainted with one of the greatest saints of the twentieth century!

Technology and Religion: Remaining Human in a Co-created World (Templeton Science and Religion Series) - Noreen Herzfeld. Technology is changing all the time, but does it also have the ability to change us and the way we approach religion and spirituality? In Technology and Religion: Remaining Human in a Co-created World, Noreen Herzfeld examines this and other provocative questions as she provides an accessible and fascinating overview of the relationship between religion and the ever-broadening world of technology.
In order to consider fully a topic as wide as technology, Herzfeld approaches the field from three different angles: technologies of the human body—such as genetic engineering, stem cells, cloning, pharmaceutical technologies, mechanical enhancement and cyborgs; technologies of the human mind—like human and artificial intelligence, virtual reality and cyberspace; and technologies of the external environment—such as nanotechnology, genetically modified crops and new agricultural technologies, and energy technology. She takes a similarly broad approach to the field of religion, focusing on how these issues interface with the three Abrahamic traditions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Throughout, readers will find nuanced examinations of the moral and ethical issues surrounding new technologies from the perspectives of these faith traditions.
The result is a multifaceted look at the ongoing dialogue between these two subjects that are not commonly associated with one another. This volume is the third title published in the new Templeton Science and Religion Series.

The Benedictine Tradition (Spirituality In History) - Laura Swan, Phyllis Zagano. When St. Benedict wrote his little rule for beginners in the fifth century, he could not have known it would shape the lives of religious men and women for more than fifteen hundred years. Offering instruction on prayer and community life, Benedict's Rule espouses the values of humility, prayer, and hospitality that have marked the lives of Benedictines throughout the ages. Benedictines are those persons who commit themselves to the Rule of Benedict, and have been popes and widows, scholars and mystics and lay people from many religious traditions, including Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutherans. They have lived in monasteries and ashrams, in busy urban centers, and in desert hermitages.
Dedicated to God and the practices of the Liturgy of the Hours and monastic life, Benedictines have made significant contributions to chant, theology, and the preservation of spiritual works of literature and scholarship. Represented here is the work of major Benedictine figures throughout the ages, beginning with Pope Gregory's account of the life of Benedict and arriving at recent statements by the Conference of Benedictine Prioresses on conflict in the world. Along with the Rule, the writing of these Benedictines remains as relevant today as in any age.
Laura Swan, OSB, writer and spiritual director, holds graduate degrees in theology and spirituality. She is a member and former prioress of Saint Placid Priory in Lacey, Washington, and is the author of Engaging Benedict: What the Rule Can Teach Us Today (Christian Classics, 2005).

The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times: New Perspectives on the Transformative Wisdom of Ignatius of Loyola - Dean Brackley. A new kind of spiritual classic and a powerful reintroduction to Christianity, this hopeful book by esteemed pastor and teacher Fr. Dean Brackley integrates a realistic analysis of today's social crisis with the deep personal spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola.

Contemporary Catholic higher education finds itself at a crucial crossroad. The issues are many and complex. How is the Catholic character of the university to be preserved and fostered while avoiding secularization on the one hand and insular sectarianism on the other? Must a majority of the faculty in a college or department be Catholic? How is Catholic to be defined in terms of culture, belief, or practice? What is the level of commitment to intellectual inquiry and the possibility of dissent that must be present on a Catholic campus? These are some of the issues that prompted Fr. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., to write a position paper and invite 29 distinguished members of the faculty and administration at the University of Notre Dame to address as they strive to envision and create a great Catholic university. The contributors explore these issues from a wide variety of religious and academic perspectives, and although their backgrounds and fields of study differ widely, they agree on a number of points. First, a great Catholic university must begin by being a great university that is also Catholic. Second, the catholicity, or universality, of a Catholic university fosters the centrality of philosophy and particularly theology as legitimate intellectual concerns, especially as they challenge the disintegration and turmoil of our modern predicament. Finally, how a Catholic university is seen as a community of service is also examined in both its intellectual and practical applications. Throughout, these essays describe a university community where reason and faith intersect and reinforce each other as they grapple with all the problems that face the transmission and growth of knowledge and the multiplication of new and complex moral problems.

The Concise Concordance to the New Revised Standard Version Hardcover – October 7, 1993
by John R. Kohlenberger (Editor)
An invaluable quick-reference guide to this acclaimed modern language translation, the Concise Concordance to the NRSV contains over 300 pages of entries including citations on the most important key words in the NRSV Bible. This concordance also includes over 300 capsule biographies of significant biblical characters and an exhaustive index of over 600 of the most frequent phrases in the NRSV.
* Three column text.
* Entries selectively cover all 84 books contained in the NRSV, including the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books.

The Content of Faith: The Best of Karl Rahner's Theological Writings - Karl Rahner. No single anthology could hope to capture the full scope of Karl Rahner's thought—his publications numbering over 3,500 separate works in the years between 1924 and 1979—but this collection is the best that could possibly be devised, containing 174 selections which reflect the best of Rahner's thought from the early 1950s to 1980.

The Dividing of Christendom Paperback – June 19, 2009
by Christopher Dawson (Author)
How did Catholics and Protestants come to be divided? What impact has their division had on Western culture? Historian Christopher Dawson answers these and other important questions in his classic study, The Dividing of Christendom. Based on Dawson's Harvard lectures, this book provides a highly readable, masterful overview of the factors that led to one of the deepest divides in Western history-one that endures and gave momentum to social, cultural and political changes whose consequences are still with us. The decline of medieval unity, the Renaissance, the Protestant and Catholic Reformations, the cultures of divided Christendom, the rise of modern secular culture, the Enlightenment, and the French Revolution are all presented in an engagingly, popular style.
This is a work for all Western Christians who want to understand the historical origins of their present divisions and possible ways of overcoming them. Dawson writes, "Of all divisions between Christians, that between Catholics and Protestants is the deepest and the most pregnant in its historical consequences. It is so deep that we cannot see any solution to it in the present period and under existing historical circumstances. But at least it is possible for us to take the first step by attempting to overcome the enormous gap in mutual understanding which has hitherto rendered any intellectual contact or collaboration impossible."
Ecumenism progressed significantly after Dawson penned those words, especially following the Second Vatican Council, but the problem of Christian disunity persists. This is a fitting subject for Christopher Dawson, whose genius was to present the broad sweep of history with verve, clarity, insight and authority. Only a deep appreciation of how the present Christian divisions arose, Dawson argues in The Dividing of Christendom, will permit an authentic return to full Christian unity.

The Evidence for God: Religious Knowledge Reexamined - Paul K. Moser. If God exists, where can we find adequate evidence for God's existence? In this book, Paul Moser offers a new perspective on the evidence for God that centers on a morally robust version of theism that is cognitively resilient. The resulting evidence for God is not speculative, abstract, or casual. Rather, it is morally and existentially challenging to humans, as they themselves responsively and willingly become evidence of God's reality in receiving and reflecting God's moral character for others. Moser calls this "personifying evidence of God," because it requires the evidence to be personified in an intentional agent - such as a human - and thereby to be inherent evidence of an intentional agent. Contrasting this approach with skepticism, scientific naturalism, fideism, and natural theology, Moser also grapples with the potential problems of divine hiddenness, religious diversity, and vast evil.

The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church. There is no other organization whose inner workings are more secretive than the Vatican - the spiritual and physical center - of the Catholic Church. Now, with a dynamic new leader in Pope Francis, all eyes are upon the church, as this immensely popular Pope seeks to bring the church back from the right to center, in what can almost be described as a populist stance, blurring the lines between politics, religion and culture. With topics including women, finance, scandal, and reform at the fore, never before have so many eyes been upon the church in what could be its defining moment for modern times. Now the most respected journalist covering the Vatican and the Catholic Church today, John L. Allen, reveals the inner workings of the Vatican to display the vast machinery, and the man at the helm in a way that no other writer can.The Boston Globe has stated that John L. Allen 'is basically the reporter that bishops and cardinals call to find out what's going on within the confines of the Vatican.'

The Friars: The Impact of the Mendicant Orders on Medieval Society - C.H. Lawrence. The mendicant friars of the Franciscan and Dominican orders played a unique and important role in medieval society. In the early thirteenth century, the Church was being challenged by a confident new secular culture, associated with the growth of towns, the rise of literature and articulate laity, the development of new sciences and the creation of the first universities. The mendicant orders which developed around the charismatic figures of Saint Francis of Assisi (founder of the Franciscans) and Saint Dominic of Osma (founder of the Dominicans) confronted this challenge by encouraging preachers to go out into the world to do God's work, rather than retiring into enclosed monasteries. C.H. Lawrence here analyses the origins and growth of these orders, as well as the impact which they had upon the medieval world – in the areas of politics and education as well as religion. His study is essential reading for all scholars and students of medieval history.

Drawing upon the teaching of seven Spiritual Doctors of the Church, Ralph Martin presents an in-depth study of the journey to God. This book provides encouragement and direction for the pilgrim who desires to know, love, and serve our Lord.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (Rev. Ed.) (Liturgy Documentary) - Usccb. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), from the Roman Missal, Third Edition, promotes more conscious, active, and full participation of the faithful in the mystery of the Eucharist. The GIRM provides specific detail about each element of the Order of Mass as well as other information related to the Mass.

In this addition to the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, two well-respected New Testament scholars interpret the Gospel of John in its historical and literary setting as well as in light of the Church's doctrinal, liturgical, and spiritual tradition. They unpack the wisdom of the Fourth Gospel for the intellectual and spiritual transformation of its readers and connect the Gospel with a range of witnesses throughout the whole history of Catholicism. This volume, like each in the series, is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively in teaching, preaching, evangelization, and other forms of ministry.

by John Wesley Martens.
The Gospel of Mark Commentary is the first of the Bible Junkies Commentaries which will ultimately cover the entire New Testament. The commentaries will emerge, like the Gospel of Mark Commentary, on the website www.biblejunkies.com in a series of weekly installments which will then be revised and crafted for book form. The goal is to bring solid biblical scholarship to as broad a readership as possible and to make this scholarship accessible to anyone who is interested in exploring the Bible. The goal of Bible Junkies is not to create controversy and rancor, but to create meaning and to provide readers with comprehensive insights into each book of the New Testament. The ultimate goal is to addict you to the truth, to make you a Bible Junkie.

The Gospel of Matthew: Commentary, Notes and Study Questions (The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible) 2nd Edition
by Scott Hahn (Author),‎ Curtis Mitch (Author),‎ Dennis Walters (Author)
With Commentary, Annotations and Topical Essays by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch Based on the Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition, this volume leads readers through a penetrating study of the Gospel of Matthew, using the biblical text itself and the Church's own guidelines for understanding the Bible. Ample notes accompany each page, providing fresh insights and commentary by renowned Bible teachers Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, as well as time-tested interpretations from the Fathers of the Church. These helpful study notes make explicit what St. Matthew often assumes. Or they provide rich historical, cultural, geographical or theological information pertinent to the Gospel – information that bridges the distance between the biblical world and our own. The Ignatius Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies and Charts. The Topical Essays explore the major themes of Matthew's Gospel, often relating them to the doctrines of the Church. The Word Studies explain the background to important Bible terms, while the Charts summarize crucial biblical information "at a glance". Each page also includes an easy-to-use Cross-Reference Section that runs between the biblical text at the top of the page and the annotations at the bottom. Study Questions are provided for each chapter of the Gospel that can deepen your personal study of God's Holy Word. There is also an introductory essay covering questions of authorship, date, destination, structure and themes. An outline of Matthew's Gospel and several maps are also included. Contents Introduction to the Ignatius Study Bible Introduction to the Gospel according to Matthew Outline of the Gospel according to Matthew The Gospel according to Matthew Map: The Journey of Jesus' Birth Topical Essay: Is Matthew's Infancy Narrative Historical Word Study: Righteousness.

The Great Passion: An Introduction to Karl Barth's Theology Paperback – October 4, 2010 by Eberhard Busch (Author), Darrell L. Guder (Editor), Judith J. Guder (Editor), William H. Rader (Translator)Widely regarded as the twentieth century’s greatest theologian, Karth Barth refocused the task of Christian theology and demonstrated its relevance to every domain of human life, from the spiritual to the social to the political. It is precisely the broad sweep of Barth’s theology that makes a book like The Great Passion of such great value ― a succinct yet comprehensive introduction to Barth’s entire theological program.
Of the many people who write on the life and thought of Karl Barth, Eberhard Busch is uniquely placed. A world-renowned expert on Barth’s theology, he also served as Barth’s personal assistant from 1965 to 1968. As Busch explains, one cannot fully understand Barth the theologian apart from understanding Barth the man. In this book he weaves doctrine and biography into a superb presentation of Barth’s complete work.
Busch’s purpose in this introduction is to guide readers through the main themes of the multivolume Church Dogmatics against the horizon of our own times and problems. In ten sections Busch clearly explains Barth’s views on all of the major subject areas of systematic theology: the nature of revelation, Israel and Christology, the Trinity and the doctrine of predestination, the “problem” of religion, gospel and law, creation, salvation, the Holy Spirit, ecclesiology, and eschatology.
A distinctive feature of the book is the way Busch lets Barth speak for himself, often through surprising quotations and paraphrases. Busch also shows how Barth’s writing should be read as a dialogue, constantly and consciously engaging other voices past and present, both inside and outside the church. Most important, The Great Passion demonstrates that Barth’s thought is still remarkably helpful today.

The Making of Modern German Christology, 1750-1990, Second Edition - Alister McGrath. The Making of Modern German Christology' is a reliable and readable introduction to the central themes and personalities of modern German Christology. Germany and northern Switzerland have been the source of a fertile theological tradition since the beginning of the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century. Moreover, the Enlightenment seems to have had its deepest theological impact in Germany and on one area of theology in particular: the person and work of Christ. Now that chapter in church history seems to be coming to a close with a shift in theological emphasis away from the Continent to North America. This book, revised and updated from an earlier British edition, is therefore a survey of that major chapter in modern theology for students and informed laypeople.

Written chiefly for theology students the book presents the authentic teachings of Catholic faith, to be found not only in the ancient conciliar sources, but also in important recent documents dealing with disputed issues of our times. Chapters deal with: The hoped-for Saviour; The Coming of Jesus Christ in the fullness of time; The Person of Christ; Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life; Redemption.

The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict 1st Edition by William T Cavanaugh (Author) . The idea that religion has a dangerous tendency to promote violence is part of the conventional wisdom of Western societies, and it underlies many of our institutions and policies, from limits on the public role of religion to efforts to promote liberal democracy in the Middle East. William T. Cavanaugh challenges this conventional wisdom by examining how the twin categories of religion and the secular are constructed. A growing body of scholarly work explores how the category 'religion' has been constructed in the modern West and in colonial contexts according to specific configurations of political power. Cavanaugh draws on this scholarship to examine how timeless and transcultural categories of 'religion and 'the secular' are used in arguments that religion causes violence. He argues three points: 1) There is no transhistorical and transcultural essence of religion. What counts as religious or secular in any given context is a function of political configurations of power; 2) Such a transhistorical and transcultural concept of religion as non-rational and prone to violence is one of the foundational legitimating myths of Western society; 3) This myth can be and is used to legitimate neo-colonial violence against non-Western others, particularly the Muslim world.

The New American Bible Concise Concordance Hardcover – November 27, 2003
by John R. Kohlenberger III (Editor)
The New American Bible Concise Concordance is a useful word index to all 73 books of the New American Bible. Arranged in alphabetical order, it shows the book, chapter, and verse location of the most prominent words in the NAB and supplies several words of the context in which each word is found.
This volume is the perfect accompaniment for anyone studying the NAB. It provides helpful access to texts most significant to personal and professional Scripture research, regardless of the reader's familiarity with this particular translation.
The New American Bible is the standard translation for use in the Catholic Church in the United States. It is the first edition of the Catholic Scriptures in American English to have been translated from the original languages. The NAB is the translation that is publicly proclaimed in the Roman Catholic Mass, and it also appears in the missal.
* The only concordance keyed to the latest edition of the New American Bible text.
* A handy, affordable reference volume for anyone reading or studying the NAB, the standard translation for the American Catholics.
* Two column text.

If you are a “thinking Catholic,” this book is for you. Engage your heart, mind and soul. Explore the doctrines of your faith. Our interpretation of church doctrine is always political. We must always ask, “Who benefits or who is disadvantaged if we choose one interpretation over others?”

The Reform of the Papacy: The Costly Call to Christian Unity - John R. Quinn. Catholic Press Award-winner. With the ascendancy of a new pope and his papal visit to the U.S. in 2009, the future of the Catholic church is again on the minds of many. In this influential bestseller, John R. Quinn, who served as Archbishop of San Francisco, makes a clear and bold case for reform within the Catholic Church, particularly of the policies and procedures of the Roman Curia.

The Sinner's Guide to Natural Family Planning Paperback –
by Simcha Fisher (Author)
An easy and lively read-funny, frank, and thoroughly grounded in Catholic theology.
So, you've decided to use Natural Family Planning.
Has it blessed your marriage? Deepened your respect for your body? Has it made your sex life fantastic? Do you and your spouse hold hands at sunset, and do pink flowers grow around your marital bed?
If so, this book is not for you.
But if you've tried Natural Family Planning and have discovered that your life is now awful-or if you feel judged or judgey, or if you trust NFP but your doctor doesn't, or if you're just trying to figure out how the heck to have a sex life that is holy but still human-you'll find comfort, encouragement, honesty, wit, and, most important, practical advice in The Sinner's Guide to NFP.
Popular Catholic writer Simcha Fisher shows what it's really like to practice NFP, and how to achieve those fabled "marriage building" benefits.
The Sinner's Guide to NFP helps you with:
• NFP and Your Spiritual Life
• NFP and the Rest of the World
• NFP in the Trenches
The next time you ask yourself, "If NFP is wonderful, why am I so miserable?" - don't panic. The Sinner's Guide to Natural Family Planning is here to help.

The Spiritual Senses: Perceiving God in Western Christianity - Sarah Coakley, Paul L. Gavrilyuk.
Is it possible to see, hear, touch, smell and taste God? How do we understand the biblical promise that the 'pure in heart' will 'see God'? Christian thinkers as diverse as Origen of Alexandria, Bonaventure, Jonathan Edwards and Hans Urs von Balthasar have all approached these questions in distinctive ways by appealing to the concept of the 'spiritual senses'. In focusing on the Christian tradition of the 'spiritual senses', this book discusses how these senses relate to the physical senses and the body, and analyzes their relationship to mind, heart, emotions, will, desire and judgement. The contributors illuminate the different ways in which classic Christian authors have treated this topic, and indicate the epistemological and spiritual import of these understandings. The concept of the 'spiritual senses' is thereby importantly recovered for contemporary theological anthropology and philosophy of religion.

The Taste for the Other: The Social and Ethical Thought of C. S. Lewis - Gilbert Meilaender; Now with a new preface by the author, this acclaimed book provides a unified introduction to C.S. Lewis'' social and ethical views.

The Trouble with Christianity: A Concise Outline of Christian History: From the Traditional Western Birth of Christ (PBUH) to Contemporary American Evangelical Fundamentalism - Philip Voerding. The Trouble With Christianity is an attempt by a former Christian who became a Muslim to present a concise introduction to Christian history and doctrine. The author admits that his discussion of the beginnings of Christianity and the conclusions that are drawn from Christian history are from his perspective as a former Christian who became a Muslim. However, this treatment of Christian history from the First Ecumenical Church Council to the beginning of the Twenty-First Century CE (Common or Christian Era in Western dating) is written with very little Muslim bias, providing a "mountain chain" of important developments.
The audience of this book will be Muslims and Christians, and anyone who desires to gain a basic knowledge of Christian history and movements. This book can also be given to sectarian evangelical Christians who have not taken the time to learn about Christian history. While not meant to be an exhaustive work on the subject, this book may be a starting-off point for those who wish to learn more about Christianity.

The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities, and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church Paperback – February 25, 2014 by John Thavis (Author) The New York Times–bestselling inside look at one of the world’s most powerful and mysterious institutions
For more than twenty-five years, John Thavis held one of the most remarkable journalistic assignments in the world: reporting on the inner workings of the Vatican. In The Vatican Diaries, Thavis reveals Vatican City as a place struggling to define itself in the face of internal and external threats, where Curia cardinals fight private wars and sexual abuse scandals threaten to undermine papal authority. Thavis (author of The Vatican Prophecies: Investigating Supernatural Signs, Apparitions, and Miracles in the Modern Age) also takes readers through the politicking behind the election of Pope Francis and what we might expect from his papacy. The Vatican Diaries is a perceptive, compelling, and provocative account of this singular institution and will be of interest to anyone intrigued by the challenges faced by religion in an increasingly secularized world.

The Westminster Handbook to Medieval Theology (Westminster Handbooks to Christian Theology) - James R Ginther. This accessible reference work provides an extensive guide to the main theological features of medieval theology. Author James Ginther provides clear and compelling discussions of major Christian thinkers, socio-cultural developments, and key terms and concepts related to the period. Both students and scholars will find this an eminently useful resource for the study of medieval theology.
The Westminster Handbook to Christian Theology series provides a set of resources for the study of historic and contemporary theological movements and Christian theologians. These books are intended to help students and scholars find concise and accurate treatments of important theological terms.

The Word of God at Vatican II: Exploring Dei Verbum Paperback – May 20, 2014 by Ronald D. Witherup PSS (Author). The Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation is universally acclaimed as one of the council’s most important documents. Published in 1965 after a long and circuitous route throughout all four years of the council, Dei Verbum sets forth the Catholic Church’s official teaching about divine revelation and the complex interrelationship between Scripture and Tradition. With the approach of the fiftieth anniversary of the constitution, this book—intended for general audiences—summarizes the history and principal teaching of this groundbreaking document. Accompanying the text of The Word of God at Vatican II is a paragraph-by-paragraph commentary and an exploration of the impact the constitution has had in the church’s life. Readers will be amazed at how influential Dei Verbum continues to be, even today.

The World of the Sacraments: The Catholic Theology of the Sacraments Paperback – February 20, 2013
by Bevil Bramwell OMI (Author)
The World of the Sacraments is an undergraduate level textbook designed to offer both the basic philosophical and theological principles to explain the sacraments as well as an extensive historical survey of the writings about each sacrament and its rites. It indicates the high degree of consistency in the thought about the sacraments through the ages.

The Writings of Julian of Norwich: A Vision Showed to a Devout Woman and A Revelation of Love (Brepols Medieval Women Series) - Jacqueline Jenkins, Nicholas Watson . Julian of Norwich (ca. 1343–ca. 1416), a contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, and John Wyclif, is the earliest woman writer of English we know about. Although she described herself as “a simple creature unlettered,” Julian is now widely recognized as one of the great speculative theologians of the Middle Ages, whose thinking about God as love has made a permanent contribution to the tradition of Christian belief. Despite her recent popularity, however, Julian is usually read only in translation and often in extracts rather than as a whole.
This book presents a much-needed new edition of Julian’s writings in Middle English, one that makes possible the serious reading and study of her thought not just for students and scholars of Middle English but also for those with little or no previous experience with the language.
• Separate texts of both Julian’s works, A Vision Showed to a Devout Woman and A Revelation of Love, with modern punctuation and paragraphing and partly regularized spelling.
• A second, analytic edition of A Vision printed underneath the text of A Revelation to show what was left out, changed, or added as Julian expanded the earlier work into the later one.
• Facing-page explanatory notes, with translations of difficult words and phrases, cross-references to other parts of the text, and citations of biblical and other sources.
• A thoroughly accessible introduction to Julian’s life and writings.
• An appendix of medieval and early modern records relating to Julian and her writings.
• An analytic bibliography of editions, translations, scholarly studies, and other works.
The most distinctive feature of this volume is the editors’ approach to the manuscripts. Middle English editions habitually retain original spellings of their base manuscript intact and only emend that manuscript when its readings make no sense. At once more interventionist and more speculative, this edition synthesizes readings from all the surviving manuscripts, with careful justification of each choice involved in this process. For readers who are not concerned with textual matters, the result will be a more readable and satisfying text. For Middle English scholars, the edition is intended both as a hypothesis and as a challenge to the assumptions the field brings to the business of editing.

Vatican II: The Battle for Meaning Paperback –
by Massimo Faggioli (Author)
The death of John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI constituted two important elements in the broad theological and cultural landscape of Catholicism. This change of pontificate has also nourished the journalistic and political dispute about Vatican II, its history and its legacy, and not only the historiographical and theological debate. But the research on Vatican II is already proceeding forward and beyond the state of knowledge about the Council reached at the end of the 90s. For 21st century Catholics and theologians interested in understanding contemporary Catholicism in the light of Vatican II the intellectual undertaking is far from accomplished yet.
The book offers comprehensive presentation of the theological and historiographical debate about Council Vatican II. The attempt to go beyond "the clash of interpretations" - Vatican II as a rupture in the history of Catholicism on one side, the need to read Vatican II in continuity with the tradition on the other - is necessary indeed because the ongoing debate about Vatican II is largely misrepresented by the use of "clashing interpretations" as a tool for understanding the role of the council in present-day Catholicism.

Women and Christianity: The First Thousand Years (Women and Christianity (Paperback)) - Mary T. Malone. Women have enriched and enabled Christianity for more than 2,000 years. In this, the first of three path-breaking volumes, theologian Mary T. Malone situates Christian women in their time and context, thus creating a continuous historical narrative rather than simply a series of vignettes. She uses women's writings and voices as primary sources on almost every page. All women, Christian or otherwise, who seek an understanding of their past will value this unprecedented, comprehensive history of Christian women and their contributions, not only to faith but to civilization.